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The Formation Desk

Rankings of registered agents, LLC formation and foreign registration services in all 50 states.

LLC service picks · South Dakota

3 Best LLC Services in South Dakota (2026)

The The Formation Desk call for LLC services in South Dakota in 2026: South Dakota Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and SD Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. South Dakota Registered Agent.co takes the call: $199 to form, state fee extra, then $99 a year for the agent.
Written by The Formation Desk editorial team
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Our top pick

1. South Dakota Registered Agent.co: best for a South Dakota LLC with no plans to expand

Form for $199; the agent is $99 a year after that, plus the state fee

Editorial score 9.3 out of 10

The desk picks South Dakota Registered Agent.co: $199 plus the South Dakota filing fee, first-year registered agent service included, then $99 a year.

You get an in-state street address as the registered office, and papers served there are scanned into your account.

It leaves the annual report out of its prices, so you send that filing to South Dakota yourself every year.

Add up three years and it undercuts Mainstay Filing, and cost is one of our two heaviest criteria.

In the price

  • The formation filing
  • The first year as your registered agent

Strengths

  • A $199 formation price, state fee on top
  • Year-one registered agent service is in the price
  • Then $99 a year for agent service

Cons

  • No annual report filing included
  • EIN application will cost you $99 more
Visit South Dakota Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. South Dakota Registered Agent.co up close
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Best bundle

2. Mainstay Filing: best for formation, agent and annual report in a single price

$199 a year plus the state fee, $349 due at checkout

Editorial score 8.8 out of 10

Runner-up, Mainstay Filing: $199 a year gets you the South Dakota formation, a year of registered agent service and the annual report, and it renews at $199.

Mainstay files the annual report for you when you renew. South Dakota wants $55 every year, by due during the entity's anniversary month, and a late filing tacks on $50; Mainstay hands the state's fee through at cost.

South Dakota Registered Agent.co undercuts Mainstay Filing by $200 over three years, and that is why Mainstay sits lower on cost.

In the price

  • Your LLC formation, handled
  • Registered agent service for the full year
  • Annual report, filed by Mainstay
  • EIN application handled

Strengths

  • South Dakota's fee passes through at cost
  • One $199 yearly price that takes in the annual report
  • $199 on renewal, nothing extra
  • EIN application comes with the package

Cons

  • Its agent renews at $100 a year more than South Dakota Registered Agent.co
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. Mainstay Filing up close
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Best local option

3. SD Registered Agent.org: best for keeping it local in South Dakota

Form for $199; the agent is $99 a year after that, plus the state fee

Editorial score 8.5 out of 10

Third, SD Registered Agent.org: $199 plus the South Dakota filing fee, first-year registered agent service included, then $99 a year.

You get an in-state street address as the registered office, and papers served there are scanned into your account.

It leaves the annual report out of its prices, so you send that filing to South Dakota yourself every year.

The published prices and features do not separate South Dakota Registered Agent.co from SD Registered Agent.org; take whichever you like.

In the price

  • The formation filing
  • The first year as your registered agent

Strengths

  • $99 yearly to keep the agent
  • Registered agent service for year one is covered
  • Forms the LLC for $199, plus the state's fee

Cons

  • No annual report filing included
  • EIN application will cost you $99 more
Visit SD Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. SD Registered Agent.org up close

The desk's 3 picks in brief

Pick Service Desk score Service fee Year two Good for Visit
1 South Dakota Registered Agent.co 9.3 $199 $99/yr A South Dakota-only LLC on a shoestring Visit South Dakota Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 Mainstay Filing 8.8 $199 $199/yr Formation, agent and annual report in a single price Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 SD Registered Agent.org 8.5 $199 $99/yr A South Dakota-only LLC on a shoestring Visit SD Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

A score out of 10 here is editorial judgment built on the criteria explained on How we rank, not an average of customer ratings.

What a South Dakota LLC service costs in 2026: year one, renewal and the three-year bill

Service Year one Year two Year three Bill over three years Annual report filed on your behalf
South Dakota Registered Agent.co $199 $99 $99 $397 No
Mainstay Filing $199 $199 $199 $597 Yes
SD Registered Agent.org $199 $99 $99 $397 No

Every price here was read off the company's own pages on November 12, 2026. South Dakota's $150 filing fee comes on top of every row and is left out of these totals.

What tipped the order

Here is the weighting: 33% for spend over three years, 33% for work the price removes, 34% spread over what renewal looks like, fit with the state and plain price display. In South Dakota, spend over three years made the call.

South Dakota Registered Agent.co comes to $397 over three years, $200 less than Mainstay Filing. Mainstay would file the annual report too, but an owner can do that alone for just the state fee, so the lower price won.

The full criteria and weights are on How we rank.

South Dakota LLC filing fee and form: the official numbers

It takes $150 to file the Articles of Organization with the South Dakota Secretary of State. Every service here adds that fee at cost on top of its own price.

How long the state takes: Paper 1 to 3 business days; online processed immediately.

After you form: keeping the South Dakota LLC in order

Send in the annual report every year, by due during the entity's anniversary month. It costs $55. Late means $50 extra. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

South Dakota LLC service: reader questions

What will setting up an LLC in South Dakota cost you?

$150 goes to the state and $199 to the service.

What do you file to create the LLC?

The Articles of Organization, sent to the South Dakota Secretary of State.

How fast does South Dakota turn a new LLC around?

The state says: Paper 1 to 3 business days; online processed immediately.

Does a South Dakota LLC have to line up a registered agent on day one?

Yes. South Dakota expects a registered agent from the start, with a street address inside the state.

What keeps coming due once a South Dakota LLC exists?

One filing: the annual report, every year, due due during the entity's anniversary month, costing $55.

Does the service price take care of the EIN?

Mainstay Filing builds it into the yearly price. South Dakota Registered Agent.co and SD Registered Agent.org tack on $99. The IRS never charges for an EIN.

Who is our pick for an LLC service in South Dakota?

South Dakota Registered Agent.co, since South Dakota formation for $199 on top of the state's fee, year-one agent included, then $99 a year to keep the agent.

Keep reading

Where the numbers came from

  1. South Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services / Corporations Division, last checked August 2026
  2. South Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services / Corporations Division, last checked August 2026
  3. South Dakota yearly filing: Annual report: fee and how, official source, last checked October 2026
  4. South Dakota report due date, last checked August 2026
  5. SDCL 47-34A-203, last checked August 2026
  6. South Dakota formation fee: Filing fee, official source, last checked October 2026
  7. South Dakota formation fee: Filing fee, official source, last checked October 2026
  8. South Dakota registered agent statute, last checked October 2026
  9. Processing, official source, last checked October 2026
  10. South Dakota Registered Agent.co: pricing and service pages, as of November 12, 2026
  11. Mainstay Filing: South Dakota service page, as of November 12, 2026
  12. SD Registered Agent.org: pricing and service pages, as of November 12, 2026